10/30/2012

We are working on Author's Stated Purpose this week, but we're also expected to have students problem solve and answer q's while reading b/c of our evaluation program. Click Here to Download the 4-Corner's Reading Response I noticed there was a misspelling, I fixed it in the goggle doc. If you download it, it's correct.

10/20/2012

I forgot my camera this week...so no pics:( I lived through the video taping. I had my 2nd evaluation (2 down, 2 to go). That's a whole other story, one I'm not prepared to put in bloggie world.

Last week I taught multiple meaning words. I didn't use my "normal" technique, I mean I'm trying new things. BAD IDEA! Normally, I have students draw a pic. of the MMW in the sentence. Then, when they get to their test question, it's almost fail proof to get the correct answer. This week, I didn't do the draw a pic. I just taught it by reading the sentence and doing mental questioning while answering the Q. Didn't work.
So, I found this pin...

I do a weekly vocab schedule. I use the frayer model and we do 2 words per day. Then, on Thursday we do a word hunt. This week, I'm going to change it up a bit. I'm thinking about doing the frayer model with 3 words M/Tu. Then, on Wednesday each student will get a 3 slide comic strip and create a comic using 3 vocab words. I mean, all my kids are obsessed with Diary of a Whimpy Kid. Are Yours? Thursday we'll still do a word hunt (they love it). I'll let ya'll know how it works out. Not sure yet. Most of my kids are "getting it", but my RtI students still aren't able to transfer their learning to their Friday test.

10/15/2012

During my afternoon duty, one of my teacher friends walked over with a sneaky smile (I should have known she was up to something!).

Me: What's up?
Teacher ex-Friend: Well, you know that meeting I had the other day, the one with district personnel?
Me: Um, yeah, sure.
Teacher ex-Friend: Well, I didn't really mean to throw you in the fire, but it turns out the district wants to come in and video tape your teaching.
Me: Video tape? Huh? Me? What?
Teacher ex-Friend: Again, I'm sorry. They want to watch your stations.
Me: Video tape? I don't really have anything to wear (yeah that was gonna get me out of it!).
Teacher ex-Friend: I'll e-mail you about it.

So, I walk away thinking one day they might get around to it. I open my e-mail and it's WEDNESDAY!!!!! But, I don't have anything to wear! I am still wearing last year's shoes! I need to clean my classroom. I need to organize things. I need to...I need to....I need to...

10/14/2012

My daughter and her 3 year old friends are really into puppets. Since "F" is coming up soon at their pre-school, I made this puppet. Then, I thought...hey why not share it. It's not as cute as some awesome graphic artists could do (I just used shapes) but, I thought my toddler would think it was cute. So, if you want to use it...click here. I added some extra pieces that are word bubbles you could put onto the puppet or you can put onto a bulletin board! In the middle of making it, I decided to add a Glyph choice as well. If I would have known about glyphs when I was a Kinder Teacher...my kids would have been glyph'd out! I love them and try to work them in when I can in 3rd Grade Reading (which is not very often).

I'm really, really trying to get to 100 followers. Please follow me if you like this freebie!

10/06/2012

Earlier this week we made predictions using the Treasures story, My Very Own Room. My kids liked the story. Me, not so much. I did do this cute craft where we put our predictions under a quilt. They loved making this!!

My baby got her ballet shoes & she loved them! When she put them on she said, "Mommy they are pink and they are beautiful!" Ahhh...

I spent ALL DAY Friday at a training (we did get a 2 hour lunch). I saw this on the table. It's obviously a family tree. Well, I don't want to make family trees, but I thought I might be able to use it for poetry or synonyms/antonyms. Hum...any ideas?

Guys I really need help teaching students how to write their own poetry...got any tips or does anyone have a post that they have seen?

I'm late, but I'm linking up with Amanda from Teaching Maddness She doesn't know it, but I a quite obsessed with her fonts! I'm also incredibly jealous b/c I don't have an iPad, but I do have a font obsession that started way back when I was in college (yup, almost 2 decades ago) and I got my 1st PC.

10/04/2012

Walgreen's is having .99cent Brag Books. These are awesome. They are small, but I made one of my daughter's swim lessons from the summer & it was tooo cute! Use code: BRAGFOR99

Walgreen's is also having a 1/2 price Sale on ALL PHOTO CARDS! Do a pumpkin pic and send out Fall Pics of your family! Use pics from the beginning of the school year and throughout the first 6wks to make cards for your student's families!

Students had Early Release today and I got to keep my homeroom all half day! They begged me to let them make a craftivity. I searched and found Amy Lemon's FREE Owl Craftivity on TpT!!! I also learned she lives down the road (well about an hour away). We were hard at work tracing, cutting, gluing and in walks who? Administration, nope not MY Administrator, one of those people from the big admin building. Seriously, today of all days? Oh well, we did a procedural writing afterward, but of course he didn't see that. I'm making a bulletin board next week and I'll post it...they were oh so cute!

I'm doing my VERY 1st Currently with

Shhhh...I tried it in August but couldn't figure out how to do it. I just spent 20 min. trying to figure out how to do it...hum, paint, DUH!!! Yes my name is Deniece (and although I love technology) I need the "Currently for idiots" version.

When I taught PK, we sang this little rhyme everyday in October. On Halloween we presented it to Parents at a donut breakfast. I bought it for my daughter when she was not even a year old and we sing it everyday in October!